


O Light

by C107



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - No Ultimate Talents (Dangan Ronpa), Coercion, Cultish Themes, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaslighting, Human Experimentation, Kidnapping, Kinda, Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, Manipulation, Mystery, Other, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Elements, chiaki just wanted to find hajime, i think, praise be to atua, she didn't sign up for this shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 22:06:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19981267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C107/pseuds/C107
Summary: "If I'm correct, then the boy you encountered should be dead."--After her best friend, Hinata, insists, Nanami finds herself visiting Hope's Peak with him. She doesn't know anything about the tourist site other than the fact that it was shut down decades ago after being reported for human experimentation. This means that she doesn't know the names of the children that fell victim to the experiments, nor does she know that their funerals were all broadcast to the public thirty years ago. As such, she doesn't question the fact that she meets a boy named Komaeda Nagito after exiting one of Hope's Peak's restrooms. Sure, it's weird that he's here when visiting hours have already ended, but what's weirder is that she can't find Hinata anywhere.--Nanami won't be the same after this.





	1. Prologue

He wasn’t here. Hinata wasn’t here.

That was the first thing she noticed ‒ Hope’s Peak being empty was the second. The building was dark, being illuminated by moonlight alone, meaning night had already fallen some time ago. In any other case, Nanami would dismiss the small detail, but something strange caught the girl’s attention. 

There were no emergency lights. 

Hope’s Peak was a large building. Combine that with the fact that it had been a school for more than a few decades before being shut down, and something didn’t add up. A prestigious former school and current tourist attraction having no emergency lights? Surely the ones who had worked on building the school weren’t so careless. Nanami could barely see her hands, much less path in front of her.

More importantly, where were the hundreds of people that had been touring Hope’s Peak just as she had? 

Where was Hinata? 

The boy certainly wasn’t the type of friend to leave her in the dust whenever something caught his interest. They were a team. They had always been a team. 

So why was she standing in an empty Hope’s Peak alone? Where was everyone else? Why hadn’t she heard her phone vibrate with any missed calls or texts? _Why wasn’t anyone looking for her?_

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt, and Nanami let out a slow breath to calm herself. She let her shoulders relax.

No. She was being far too presumptuous. Hinata hadn’t left her intentionally, because that wasn’t the type of guy he was. Her friends were probably worried sick about her, and all she had to do was leave this building and find them before enduring their wrath and apologizing for hiding right under their noses. Everything would be fine.

She just had to check one thing.

Shrugging her backpack off of her shoulders, Nanami fell softly to her knees, placing the bag on the floor to rummage through it. She pulled out her phone, pressed the button on its side, and let the dim light of its screen fill the nearby area.

Half-past midnight.

Nanami’s phone fell out of her hand, clattering on the floor. It hadn’t been a long fall, but it had been enough to snap her out of her stupor. She hadn’t been in the restroom for that long, had she? According to the time her phone displayed, it had been four hours since she had gone in there, and three since touring hours for Hope’s Peak had ended.

She remembered telling Hinata that she would be right back, and it felt like she wasn’t in there for long, so why…?

“Um, excuse me. Are you okay?”

The girl jerked at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. If she was correct, no one was supposed to be here right now. Not even her. 

She tilted her head upward to see a boy with unruly white hair holding a hand out to her. Although she was fine, Nanami took it to be polite and let herself be pulled to her feet. 

“I’m...fine, I think.”

At her response, the boy gave her a smile riddled with what she could only interpret as amusement. Given the circumstances, it didn’t feel right for him to bear such an expression. Why _was_ he here, anyway? If he were in the same situation as her, she figured he wouldn’t be so calm.

“You don’t sound so certain,” the stranger chuckled. 

At that, Nanami tilted her head before choosing her words carefully.

“I’m not. But, um, who are you?”

She had expected for him to answer her question, but he shrugged, still giving her that smile.

“My name really shouldn’t matter to you. I mean, you’re on your way home, right? I can’t imagine why someone like you would be at a place like this so late at night.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before continuing, “I doubt we’ll see each other after this."

Nanami paused before picking up her phone and placing it in her backpack.

“You’re right, but even so, there is a chance we’ll see each other again. And if that happens, I want you to at least know my name...if that’s alright.”

She could have sworn she saw the boy’s eyes light up.

“Well, if you insist, how could I refuse?”

At that, Nanami gave a kind smile. Introducing herself had always been hard, but she had gotten better at it after Naegi, one of her more popular underclassmen, let her practice with him for an entire hour in their school’s courtyard one day. Sometime during that hour, Hagakure ‒ another one of her underclassmen friends ‒ had walked by and loudly proclaimed that she had been cursed before sprinting off, leaving a trail of dust and dirt behind him. It had taken days for her to convince him that she wasn’t an alien and didn’t want his organs.

It was now or never. From the top, “I’m Nanami Chiaki. It’s nice to meet you.” She had managed to string the words together with confidence, and she felt proud of herself. If only Naegi, Hinata, and the rest of their friends were here.

Naegi. Hinata. Friends.

She had to leave quickly, but she waited for the boy to finish his introduction, learning his name was Komaeda Nagito, before doing so. She didn’t bother asking why he had been at Hope’s Peak at this hour, or asking how the workers hadn’t noticed the two of them before closing. Those questions could wait for later, if they ever saw each other again. But there was something she couldn’t get her mind off of.

Four hours.

It didn’t make sense. She didn’t recall doing anything in the time that had transpired. One moment, she told Hinata she would be going to the restroom, and the next, she was in Hope’s Peak’s main hall. Thinking about what could have possibly taken place in the time between that made a dull ache develop in her head. She tried to remember, but her mind kept drawing blanks.

And if she had spent four hours in there, what had Hinata been doing outside of there?

Nanami held her phone to her ear as she made her way home on foot. She listened for a moment.

_“At the tone, please record your me—”_

Hinata hadn’t picked up. 

It was too late to visit his house now. She knew his parents wouldn’t be fond of that idea, and knowing him, he was probably already resting peacefully and wouldn’t enjoy being woken up.

Upon entering her room, Nanami wasted no time flopping on to her bed with a sigh. Hinata probably wasn’t awake, but she knew one person who definitely was. One who she could probably trust to get to the bottom of her strange experience.

“Kirigiri-san?”

After a bit of shuffling on the other line, Nanami could make out the girl's voice.

“Nanami-san, is something wrong? You never call this late.”

Straight to the point as always. For her, it was one of the things that made Kirigiri comfortable to talk to.

“I...have a story to tell you.” 

“Story?” She couldn't practically _hear_ Kirigiri raise an eyebrow.

“About something that just happened to me. It isn't long; don't worry. But I may have a lot to say anyway.”

“It's fine. I'm not working right now anyway.”

After pulling a few strings, Kirigiri was able to land a job at the local detective agency. Anyone could say she spent more time solving cases than being at school, and that wouldn't be an exaggeration. 

“So…” Nanami took a moment to gnaw on her bottom lip thoughtfully, “Hajime and I went to visit Hope's Peak yesterday.”

“I see… And I take it something strange occurred?”

“Yeah. It started off normally, but at some point, I told him I would be going to use the restroom and...would be right back. That was at nine-thirty or so.”

She heard scribbling on the other line. 

“It felt like I hadn't been in the restroom for long, but when I stepped out– When I…”

“Nanami-san.”

She took a deep breath, holding it for four seconds before exhaling. A trick Kirigiri had taught her.

“When I stepped out of the restroom, Hope's Peak was empty. The lights were off. All of them. There were no emergency lights or anything. And Hajime...he wasn't there.”

More scribbling.

“I used my phone to check the time, and it read...half-past midnight.”

Kirigiri must have lowered her pen, because Nanami couldn't hear anything other than the sound of the detective's voice now.

“What you're saying is, you visited Hope's Peak with Hinata and went into the restroom at approximately nine-thirty during your time there. You walked out of the restroom after what you had thought to be only a few minutes, but what had actually been four hours, correct?”

Nanami nodded in affirmation before realizing her friend couldn't see it.

“Yeah. And I checked my phone, but I didn't have any missed calls or texts. I tried calling Hajime, but he didn't pick up.”

The scribbling resumed.

“That was after I left Hope's Peak, though. Before that, I met a boy in the school, and we introduced ourselves to one another.”

“Nanami-san, do you remember his name?”

That was easy. Of course she did.

“His name was… It was… Um…”

Her eyebrows furrowed, that same dull ache in her head resurfacing, but stronger this time.

“If you don't remember, try to give me a description of him.”

She could do that, at least.

“He had long white hair that seemed...kind of fluffy, and he was wearing a jacket. It was green, I think. He looked somewhere around our age. It seemed like he had really pale skin, but it was hard to tell because it was so dark, and um...he smiled a lot.”

The speed of the scribbling picked up.

“Nanami-san, could you give me his initials?”

Urgency. Something she rarely heard in Kirigiri's tone.

“His initials were…K and N, I think.”

The scribbling stopped, and Nanami heard the sound of something clattering to the floor before Kirigiri cleared her throat.

“If I'm correct, then the boy that you encountered should be dead.”

_What._

“Kirigiri-san, could you give me his name?”

“Komaeda Nagito.”

There it was. She remembered now.

“But this is impossible – Especially the fact that he looks to be around our age.”

“Because he’s supposed to be dead, right?”

“According to the research I gathered in my investigation, Komaeda was one of the children used for Hope's Peak's human experimentation stunt.”

Nanami didn't know how to respond to that, but she didn't have to. She heard shuffling on the other line.

“Nanami-san, I'll call you back sometime soon. I just...need to sort out everything I've learned. Goodbye.”

And that was that. Closing her eyes for the night, Nanami could make out a head of white hair and a gentle smile.

The next morning, a frustrated Byakuya Togami paced back in forth in her living room, a steaming cup of tea abandoned on the coffee table. Kirigiri held hers to her lips, sitting in an office chair with crossed legs.

“We aren’t doing it.”

Nanami tilted her head from her spot on the sofa. “But, Togami-kun--”

“You’re claiming to have seen _Komaeda Nagito_ , a boy whose funeral was broadcast to the public nearly thirty years ago, alive and well and in Hope’s Peak.” Despite the fact that it was phrased like a question, Togami’s tone made it clear it wasn’t one.

Kirigiri came to her defense.

“She didn't just _see_ him. She encountered and had a conversation with him. And a conversation I had with her last night suggested that she didn't even know of his past before I told her.”

One of Togami's palms came to rest against his forehead. “But this is...impossible.”

“Correct. That's exactly why I'm asking that you reopen this case.” Kirigiri crossed her arms, eyeing the manager of her manager with a neutral expression. She was met with an unwavering glare.

Nanami took the tense silence as an opportunity to speak up.

“What if I go back to Hope's Peak a few hours after closing tonight and see whether Komaeda…-san is still there or not? And I could bring Hagakure-kun or Tanaka-kun with me.”

Togami scoffed, “What good would either of _them_ be in a case?”

“Well, Hagakure-kun knows a lot about ghosts, and Tanaka-kun knows a lot about evil spirits.”

“Don't be ridiculous. We aren't dealing with any ghosts.”

Nanami tilted her head. “So we're dealing with evil spirits, then?”

From the background, Kirigiri let out a snort before clearing her throat.

“Nanami-san – putting evil spirits aside – if what you're saying is true, then do you have any memory your time in Hope's Peak's restroom?”

The girl in question shook her head.

“No, not at all. I remember walking in there and walking out, but I think...that's it. Whenever I try remembering what happened between those events, my head starts hurting.”

Kirigiri and Togami shared a glance.

“Nanami, during your tour of Hope's Peak, did you ingest anything strange?” Togami crossed his arms.

“No.”

“Did you fall asleep anywhere?”

“No.”

“Did any area of your body hurt after walking out of the restroom?”

“No.”

At her responses, he put a hand to his chin, eyes trained on an area of the floor. Kirigiri uncrossed her legs.

“Togami-kun, if you think she was drugged, we could always do a blood test.”

“No, that won't be necessary.” Togami looked to Nanami, adjusting his glasses. “Both of you, get in the car. We're going to visit the home of Hinata Hajime.”

The drive to Hinata's house was a tense one. 

Nanami found herself getting restless. He still hadn't called her back or texted her, and she was beside herself with worry.

“We're here.”

Togami waited for her and Kirigiri to unbuckle their seatbelts and step out of the car, and Nanami wasted no time rushing to the door. She rang the doorbell, going over what Togami and Kirigiri told her to say in her head, which wasn't a lot if she were to be honest.

A moment passed before she was greeted by the sight of Hinata's smiling mother. Nanami couldn't help but smile in return.

“Nanami-san, dear, come in– Who are you?”

Nanami saw the woman's gaze wander above her head, and she knew exactly why. Togami and Kirigiri walked until they were at her sides, and Togami did the talking first.

“Togami Byakuya from the Togami conglomerate, and Kirigiri Kyoko from the local detective agency.” Hinata's mother didn't move from the doorway, and Togami's eyes narrowed. “Well? Aren't you going to let us in?”

“O-Of course.”

The woman moved out of the way, and Nanami took her shoes off at the door before taking a seat on the couch and resting her hands on the cool leather at her sides. Togami didn't sit. He stood with crossed arms, glaring down at Hinata's poor mother, who sat next to Nanami. From a nearby armchair, Kirigiri brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Now,” Togami began, “we're going to keep this simple. Inform us of the whereabouts of your son, Hinata Hajime.”

Hinata's mother's eyes widened.

“He isn't...with you, Nanami-san?” She looked to her side, where the girl in question shook her head.

“We were at Hope's Peak yesterday, and I went into the restroom. When I came out, he was gone, and I didn't have any missed calls or texts.” Kirigiri had ordered that she keep out the part about potentially being in there for hours.

“My son is...missing?”

Togami sighed. “If you have no idea where he could be, then you won't be of any help to us.” He nodded in the directions of his partners, “You two, come on.”

“Wait!” The woman stood up from the couch with a shout.

“What is it? You're wasting _our_ time to find _your_ son.”

She frowned at Togami's haughty tone. 

“Would it be possible for me to come with you all?”

Kirigiri stood, walking over to the front door. “That won't be necessary. Nanami-san should be of enough help. When we find Hinata Hajime, we'll return him to you as soon as possible. Nanami-san, come on.”

Nanami moved to walk to Kirigiri, but she stopped upon feeling a hand grab her jacket. Hinata's mother looked up at her with pleading eyes, and she understood. There was no more to be said, so she nodded as a way of conveying her message.

_'We...will find him. I promise.'_

And she made her way out of the house. 

“What a waste of time,” Togami grumbled, hands on the steering wheel.

“Not really. Now we know that she doesn't know where Hinata is, so we can confirm that he really is missing.” Kirigiri stared out of the window on the car's passenger side.

“You're right,” Nanami responded from one of the car's back seats. “Hajime doesn't go anywhere without telling his parents first, I think. And he usually lets me know, too, if we're somewhere together. If he's leaving to go do something, he'll let me know, so that's why this is so strange...”

“Nanami-san, you may have a point with your idea of revisiting Hope's Peak.”

She looked up and stopped twiddling her thumbs in her lap, tilting her head. “I...do?”

Kirigiri nodded, turning her head to face Togami.

“Human experimentation, the cause of several children's deaths decades ago, and potential kidnapping. Togami-kun, what do you think we should do?” She closed her eyes with a smirk, and the boy glanced at her.

“Tch. Don't give me that look. We aren't reopening the case,” he paused, “unless we see something with our own eyes tonight.”

Nanami could help but smile at that, placing a loose fist to her chest.

“Togami-kun, Kirigiri-san...thank you.”

“Don't count your chickens before they hatch.” With that, Togami refocused his gaze on the road.

After they dropped off at her home, Togami and Kirigiri left Nanami to her own devices, declaring they would pick her up at approximately nine o’clock before driving away. They had work to do, and she felt bad for getting them involved in her problems, but she knew that if anyone would be able to find Hinata, it would be Kirigiri.

And Togami too, if he cared enough to get directly involved.

The house was empty, which made sense, as Nanami's parents were out of town. She had no homework to do for the weekend, either, so she occupied herself by playing video games for a few hours and taking a nap.

She tried calling Hinata again upon waking up.

This time, someone answered.

_“Hello hello?”_

Through their thick accent, Nanami could make out a high-pitched voice that suggested they were female. Her heart sped up in her chest, but she tried to keep a neutral voice and a level head. Ask the right questions, ask the right questions...

“Um, is this call...being answered from within Hope's Peak? T-The tourist attraction?”

_“Nyahaha! And what if it is?”_

_“A-Angie-san, you r-really shouldn't be...calling someone at a time like this.”_

_“Hm? But Atua says it's from someone veeery important, Mikan. You would not want to anger him, would you?”_

Nanami noticed how the girl's – Angie's – voice dropped during that last sentence.

_“Eeeee…! I'm s-sorry! Please f-forgive me, Atua! Forgive meeeeee…!”_

_“What are you two doing in here? Angie-san, is that-?!”_

With a soft click from the phone, the call ended abruptly. That last voice, Nanami had recognized immediately. It belonged to none other than Komaeda.

She considered calling Kirigiri to let the detective know what had happened, but using her phone to check the time, Nanami noticed that it was almost time for her and Togami to pick her up.

She got ready, and fifteen minutes later, spotted a familiar car pulling up to her driveway.

“I tried calling Hajime again,” she spoke once Togami had begun driving.

Kirigiri looked back at her. “And what happened?”

“I...got a few answers.”

“Well?” Togami glanced up at the mirror. “Stop dragging this on and speak.”

Nanami folded her hands in her lap, eyes trained on them.

“Someone picked up, but it wasn't Hajime. It was a girl.”

Kirigiri pulled a notebook and pen from the glove compartment. “Were you able to gather intel on her?”

“She had a thick accent, and a girl that was with her called her 'Angie-san’. I asked her if the called was...being answered from Hope's Peak, and she responded with something along the lines of 'What if it is?’.”

Togami's jaw clenched, and Kirigiri asked him, “Do you think it's her?”

“Yonaga? She was one of the students involved in the human experimentation, but even so…this isn't–” “Making any sense, I know.”

His eyes narrowed. “Did I ask for any help?”

“Guys,” Nanami spoke up, “I'm not finished.”

“Right. Nanami-san, continue.” Kirigiri brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Um...So, Angie-san called the other girl ‘Mikan’. Mikan said that now wasn't the time to be calling someone, so I can't help but wonder what they were doing. Angie-san also mentioned someone named Atua and implied that Mikan shouldn't make him angry. After that, Mikan begged for his forgiveness.”

“Yonaga Angie and Tsumiki Mikan. Yonaga came from a tropical island where worshipping a god called Atua was the primary practice. People suspected that she used this 'Atua' as a tool to get people to do her bidding. Tsumiki was a student who showed great interest in medical equipment and nursing, and was also bullied during her childhood. Because of the harsh treatment she faced, she became very meek and vulnerable,” Kirigiri said.

Nanami couldn't help but feel bad for them. She didn't know what they wanted, and they most certainly had Hinata with them, but on top of being experimented on, it seemed like they both had troubled pasts.

“There's more,” she said to Kirigiri and Togami. “When Tsumiki-san told Yonaga-san that she shouldn't have been calling anyone, Yonaga-san told her that Atua said she was talking to someone very important… And then Komaeda-san said something like 'Angie-san, is that-’ and the call ended.”

“Someone important…” Kirigiri seemed to chew on that thought, stopping where she had been writing in her notebook.

“We're here,” Togami announced, unbuckling his seatbelt.

Take a deep breath. Hold it for four seconds. Exhale. Nanami did this, hardening her resolve. She had to walk into this building. She _had_ to, because if she didn't...she would probably never get Hinata back.

(Entering Hope's Peak that night was her first mistake.)

The trio walked into the building, and upon seeing that it was dark, just as it had been the previous night, Nanami turned on her phone's flashlight. She also checked the time – eleven-thirty – and did her best to drill it into her head.

“Alright,” Togami began, “from here, we all separate.”

Nanami tilted her head. “Togami-kun, in horror-based games and stories, splitting up is usually a bad idea.”

_'And usually ends with most of the group being dead.’_

She knew it was wrong to think like that, but she couldn't help it. They hadn't flubbed any charms based around a troubled spirit, so why were they in a shut-down school?

Togami scoffed. “Don't confuse the world of fiction with reality. Obviously–”

“Both of you, hush.” Upon reaching the dormitory, they were cut off by Kirigiri, who had wandered over to a nearby wall to press an ear against it. Nanami recognized it; it was the wall near the entrance to the cafeteria. Kirigiri used a hand to make a 'come here’ motion, and she and Togami complied.

Straining her ears, Nanami could make out words and voices.

_“She’s… Atua is very excited! Do you think…?”_

_“If she’s… out.”_

_“U-Um… should we really… f-friend?”_

_“Of course…! … test… hope!”_

_“Ah… Such… display of beauty.”_

The first voice she had recognized as Yonaga’s, with the third one being Tsumiki’s and the fourth being Komaeda’s. It was hard to make out what they were saying, much less what they were talking about. Fortunately for her (and Togami, though he would never admit it), Kirigiri had managed to transcribe most of the conversation into her notebook. 

_“She’s finally here! Atua is very excited! Do you think she will like us?”_

_“If she’s a drag, we’re kicking her out.”_

_“U-Um...should we really be doing something like that to her f-friend?”_

_“Of course! Something like that will definitely prove to be a wonderful test of her hope!”_

_“Ah… Such a magnificent display of beauty.”_

Nanami finished reading, and her eyes widened with realization. Someone very important. They couldn’t mean…

She looked to Togami, who crossed his arms and avoided her gaze, a bead of sweat forming at his temple. Kirigiri seemed to have the same idea as them. She probably had it figured out before she’d even stepped into the building.

“Nanami-san, aren’t you going to come in? Of course, you don’t have to, but you _are_ our guest of honor, so it would really mean a lot to us.”

Komaeda. 

The boy had been kind enough when she first met him. At least, he had seemed kind. But if he and a few of his friends had decided and managed to kidnap Hinata, she couldn’t forgive him. They wanted her for whatever reason, so here she was.

‘For whatever reason.’ It made her realize that she still had no idea what was going on, and trying to figure it out only made her head pound.

It made her head pound hard, hard, harder.

Spots of black dotted her vision, and two sharp, panicked cries of her name were the last things Nanami heard before losing consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first time actually writing horror, so i hope i don't screw it up?
> 
> also, get used to komaeda because he's gonna be your new best friend, ahahahahaha-


	2. Erasure

At first, she didn't open her eyes.

She listened to the sounds around her, her ears picking up shuffling on her left side. From the soft material under her, and the warm material draped over her, she could gather that she was in a bed. But _why?_

Nanami felt several somethings combing through her hair, slender, slightly pointed at the ends. Fingers.

She let out a soft groan that was met with a barely audible gasp.

“K-Komaeda-san, I think she's awake!” 

So the lady at her side was friends with someone named “Komaeda”. Opening her eyes, Nanami took note of that.

Pink walls and white sheets. She was in a bed, and in a room that wasn't her own. Purple hair and a relieved, yet timid expression. It was a girl around her age.

“H-Hello,” she smiled, and then that smile turned into a concerned frown. “Are you alright? Would you like a drink, o-or another pillow?” 

Nanami asked the first question that came to mind.

“Where...are we?”

“Somewhere safe.”

The answer came not from the girl next to her, but from a boy standing in the doorway. He had white, untamed hair and wore a green jacket with jagged coattails. He leaned against the door's frame with crossed arms and a small smile.

“I'm glad you're finally awake,” he continued, but Nanami could only focus on one thing.

Where was Hinata? They had just been in Hope's Peak together, so if she was in this room, then where was he? Using her eyes to scan the room, she also couldn't see her backpack or phone anywhere. Her shoulders tensed, and the boy, who she figured was Komaeda, seemed to notice.

“Are you alright?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Ah, we haven't introduced ourselves, have we? You must be a little on edge...” His eyebrows furrowed in what she assumed to be concern.

“I'm Komaeda Nagito, and the girl who took care of you while you were unconscious is Tsumiki Mikan.”

She hooked on to that word: _Unconscious_.

“It's nice to meet you…” Tsumiki squeaked, and Nanami gave her a smile. From the top, just like Naegi had taught her.

“I'm Nanami Chiaki. Nice to meet you, too.”

Tsumiki seemed shocked for a moment, then elated. 

“If it isn't t-too much trouble...may I please remember your name?”

What a strange request.

“Of course. I'd like to remember your name too, Tsumiki-san.” 

Tsumiki seemed too stunned to say anything after that, or do anything for that matter. It seemed she was frozen in her spot until Nanami tried to sit up and get out of bed.

“U-Um, you really shouldn't be getting out of bed just yet!”

“You fainted from shock earlier,” Komaeda said, taking a seat at the foot of the bed. 

“Why? Why did I faint from shock, I mean.” Nanami's eyebrows furrowed. _Unconscious_. Where was Hinata?

“Ah, well, truthfully it was because...you saw me.” That hadn't been the answer she expected, and it didn't give her any of the answers she was looking for.

Looking over to Tsumiki, “Thank you for taking care of me, but...I'm looking for one of my friends. And do you know where my stuff is? Just...a backpack, really, and everything else should be inside.”

“We didn't find anything like that, I'm sorry. If only we could be of more help, since it's my fault you're like this in the first place,” Komaeda sighed. “But you really shouldn't be getting out of bed just yet, Nanami-san. Tsumiki-san and I are gonna leave to bring you some food, so hang tight for a moment.”

She couldn't help but notice how Komaeda always seemed to butt into the conversation at the strangest of times. The boy left with Tsumiki, and she waited for a few minutes, waited until she was sure they were both far enough from the door, and got out of bed to turn the door's handle.

Locked.

This room that they put her in, it locked from the outside.

_“Where are we?” “Somewhere safe.”_

_“Why? Why did I faint from shock, I mean.” “Ah, well, truthfully it was because...you saw me.”_

Looking back on it, she realized that Komaeda's answers to her questions had been rather vague. And if this were someplace safe, what would be the point in locking her in this room? She didn't want to doubt them, but if she believed in them when there were several signs pointing against what they claimed to be good intentions, she would just be lying to herself.

Footsteps. They were coming back.

Nanami hurried to crawl into the bed which, to their credit, was pleasantly soft.

“Nanami-san,” Komaeda said upon opening the door, “we weren't sure what you liked, so we went with something basic.” He gave her a sheepish grin.

 _We,_ another word her mind couldn't help but hook on to. It was possible he had used it to refer to himself and Tsumiki, but there was also a strong possibility of there being more people.

“Thank you,” she smiled, taking the tray Tsumiki held out to her. 

“W-Would you like me to feed you?”

She tilted her head. 

“Um...no, it's alright. But I appreciate the offer.”

Tsumiki whimpered, and Komaeda whispered something to her, making her body go rigid before she left the room.

Now it was just her and Komaeda. Alone.

The room seemed to grow colder, and Nanami looked down at the tray of food on her lap.

“Komaeda-kun, are you...hiding something?”

She looked up to see an oblivious smile plastered on the boy's face. 

“What do you mean, Nanami-san?”

“Are you leaving out important information in your answers to my questions on purpose?”

Komaeda sighed, crossing his arms but still smiling nonetheless.

“So you figured it out. As expected from someone like you. Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, I suppose there's nothing I can do.”

There it was. The vagueness. Had he really figured out what she had figured out, or was he just bluffing?

“Figured what out? It just seems like…you aren't giving me real answers.”

“Right.” Komaeda looked to the floor. “We all want you to trust us, so starting now, I'll answer all of your questions honestly.”

Ask the right questions, ask the right questions…

“Did you bring me here against my will?”

Komaeda didn't miss a beat. “You're here because you belong here, Nanami-san. I suppose you don't realize it yet, and didn't realize it before passing out, but you will soon. And rest assured, you entered this building on your own volition.”

Her heart dropped at that, but she had to keep going.

“What is this building?”

“Hope's Peak Academy.”

Her eyebrows furrowed.

“What...time was I brought into this room?”

“Around twelve in the morning, I believe.”

After touring hours ended. In other words, she had snuck into Hope’s Peak or stayed there after hours. But why?

“Was I with anyone before passing out?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you take me away from them?”

Komaeda scowled, a new expression on him that made her stomach churn, “They would only get in the way.”

She didn't dare ask him to elaborate on that.

“Do you know where Hinata Hajime is?”

“Yes.”

“Will you allow me to go to him?”

“No.”

Nanami gnawed on her bottom lip. “Why not?”

“He isn't ready for you yet, and you aren't ready to see him, either. But I promise, in due time, you two will be together again. As for what I mean by that, well...it’s a surprise,” he grinned.

She felt herself getting restless, mind racing with thoughts of what her friend could be going through. Nanami swallowed, bringing herself to ask the question that had been on her mind this entire time.

“Komaeda-kun, why did you put me in a room that locks from the outside?”

“So you _did_ figure it out,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Well, none of us would want you running away from us, and we figure this would be best since we can monitor you more this way.”

 _Monitor._ He phrased it as if she were some sort of baby or pet for them to keep track of. As if she were a bug under a microscope. He also made it sound like…

“How long are you expecting me to stay here?”

Komaeda walked closer to the bed so that he was looming over her, and Nanami watched as his lips curled into an affectionate smile.

“As long as you need, Nanami-san.”

She put the tray of food that she didn’t eat to the side and stood up, making her way to the door with slow steps. Komaeda made no move to stop her, and she came to a realization, but she didn’t stop jiggling the doorknob that refused to turn.

“I told Tsumiki-san to lock it earlier.” 

She knew that. She _knew_ , but she didn’t stop. Not when her shoulders began to shake. Not when her hands started to ache and her wrists started to throb painfully. Not until Komaeda gently peeled her hands off the doorknob and led her back to bed.

Watching her struggle, not once did the boy stop smiling.

—

When she woke up, the first thing Nanami thought about was the time. The room she had been put in didn’t have any windows, and she didn’t have her phone or see any clocks in the room, so it was impossible to tell. 

The others – if there were any besides Tsumiki – must have let Komaeda out sometime while she was sleeping, because the spot where he had been sitting on the bed was now empty. 

Nanami frowned. It would have been different if they had just taken her, but the knowledge that they had Hinata too, and the fact that she wasn’t able to see him, made her stomach churn.

She had to get out of here. Not just for herself, but for Hinata and their friends and their parents, too.

With newfound determination, Nanami sat up and swung her legs out of bed. Strategy games had taught her about patience and paying attention to small details. Mystery ones had taught her about investigating things thoroughly, gathering clues, and using them for later. All she had to do was remember what Komaeda's answers to her questions were, and then she could use those answers to come to a conclusion. 

There was one thing she hadn't asked Komaeda, and that was what he wanted her and Hinata for. She would have to figure that out on her own.

Nanami stood, making her way around the room near the walls. The room seemed fairly barren, with only the bed she had slept in, a dresser, a closet, a bathroom, and a desk and chair. She looked under the bed and its mattress for good measure, finding nothing but empty space. The bathroom had grey, painted walls and wasn't too big or small. Nothing of interest in there, except for her favorite brand of shampoo and conditioner. And toothpaste. And toilet paper. 

She checked every drawer of the dresser, finding clothes in her exact sizes. After the bathroom, it had been no surprise, but she wondered how they had gotten that information. She dug near the drawers’ bottoms for good measure, and her hand swiped over something. Paper. Curiously, Nanami pulled it out.

_'Welcome to your new life, Nanami-senpai :)’_

The honorific implied that whoever wrote it was younger than her, and the note itself meant that they had counted on her searching the room thoroughly. She frowned.

The closet was next. It was a walk-in one and held clothes of her size just as the dresser had. On the wall across from the door, there were little shelves meant for shoes. She searched carefully, finding another note.

_‘Let’s get along from now on!’_

The desk had a single drawer with a notebook and writing utensils in it and this time, the note was in the notebook. She scanned the pages and found it right in the middle.

_‘It’s really fun here, so you won't get bored ;)’_

With a small sigh, Nanami walked back over to the dresser and bent down to the floor to look under it. 

And then the door opened.

“Sheesh, it's your first day here and you're already crawling on the floor like a weirdo? Well, I promise I don't judge. Just wash your hands or whatever.”

It was another girl. She had long strawberry blonde hair that was held into two pigtails and wore an indifferent expression that suggested she didn't care what others thought of her. She held a tray in her hand that looked similar to the one Tsumiki gave to her the night before.

Nanami never did eat that food.

“Well? Are you gonna stand up, or…?”

Oh. Right.

Nanami rose to her feet and made her way to the restroom to wash her hands, coming back to see that the girl had taken a seat on the bed and crossed her legs. The tray of food sat next to her. Slowly, Nanami made her way to the bed and lifted the tray to take a seat before placing it in her lap. Unlike Komaeda and Tsumiki, the pink-haired girl didn't leave. She waited patiently, despite her impatient mannerisms. She studied Nanami carefully, despite her expression that suggested she lacked interest in her. It felt as if she were being tested.

“Eat.”

Hearing that command, Nanami stared down at the tray. It was just a few pancakes and syrup, a western breakfast. That meant it was probably morning by now. 

A moment passed before she cut one using the fork she had been given and raised that piece to her mouth. Chewing, she realized it didn't taste too bad. Swallowing, she looked to her side, where the girl had turned to face her, leaning toward her with excited eyes.

“Do you like it? Well? Do you, do you?”

Nanami nodded.

“Thank you, um…”

“I'm Enoshima Junko. Please to meetcha!” 

“Thank you, Enoshima-san.” She forced another piece of a pancake into her mouth and swallowed thickly. She wanted to gag.

“So, tell me about yourself. Dreams, hobbies, aspirations…” She looked to the tray in Nanami's lap, “Favorite foods. What does _Nanami Chiaki_ do in her spare time?”

She thought back to Komaeda's statement the night before.

_“We weren't sure what you liked, so we went with something basic.”_

They were trying to gather even more information on her.

“Video games are my passion, and I’m a fan of all genres. Other than gaming...I don't do anything but hang out with my friends, go to school, and sleep.”

Nothing too personal, but it was the truth.

Enoshima nodded. “And who are these friends?”

Nanami pressed her lips into a thin line, thinking for a moment.

“There's Naegi-kun. He's...a lot like me, and I was really shy before meeting him, but he helped me come out of my shell. Everyone likes him because he's simple, yet kind. That kind of person is easy to be around, you know? He also has really bad luck. Like, one time, he tripped over a pebble and managed to fall into an anthill. I'm pretty sure he still has nightmares about that.”

She was smiling, and she could tell Enoshima took note of that, but she couldn't stop.

“And then there's Kirigiri-san. She hangs out with Naegi-kun a lot. She's a bit standoffish before you get to know her, but she's nice too. She's really smart, and she always helps out her friends when they ask that of her. Oh, and she's a detective, even at such a young age.

“I would say I'm friends with Togami-kun, but I know he wouldn't. He's...pretty prideful, and thinks he's better than everyone else, but he tones that down with people he likes. And he can be really nice sometimes, too. Like for Naegi-kun's birthday last year, he forced him to attend a banquet. And for Christmas, he threw a huge party and invited his entire class.

“And, Hajime…” She placed a loose fist to her chest, “He always compares himself to others and puts himself down, but he's hard-working and kind and puts others before himself most of the time. We've been best friends for a long time, and he was one of the first people to accept my hobby.”

Enoshima's face bore an unreadable expression before giving her a wide grin.

“Well, you have us now, and I'm sure we're at least ten-thousand times better than those nerds!” She waved a hand as if waving Nanami's statements away.

Nanami tilted her head.

“Do you have any friends, Enoshima-san?”

The girl paused. 

“I have a sister, but she's totally lame. And she smells. And Mukuro's pretty stupid and totally useless, so…”

Nanami looked to the tray in her lap. The syrup had been soaked into the pancakes, and as a result, they appeared even less appetizing than before.

 _Mukuro._ She tucked the name away in her mind for safekeeping.

“Is she here, too?”

Enoshima rolled her eyes.

“Of course she is, silly. How else would we keep in touch?”

 _What_. 

What could that statement possibly mean? Nanami began to ponder that, and Enoshima stood from the bed with a stretch. 

“It was nice chatting with you, Nanami-senpai. I'll see you around!” She sang, waving with all five fingers before leaving the room.

 _Nanami-senpai,_ she had said. So it was possible she had been the one to write those notes. 

Tsumiki, Komaeda, Enoshima, Mukuro. It was possible that there were more people and she just hadn't met them yet. And she had just given Enoshima a bunch of information on her friends that she or the others could use against her or them. Nanami pulled her hoodie over her head and walked over to the desk to place the tray of unfinished pancakes on it.

Enoshima had just left, meaning there was a possibility that she hadn't locked the door behind her. Nanami made her way to the door and twisted the knob. Locked.

She sighed.

Well, it was probably morning anyway. Not like she could do much sneaking around. There wasn't much to do in the room, which was fine. She didn't want to risk getting too comfortable, much less comfortable enough to get bored. 

After taking a quick, far from relaxing shower, Nanami climbed into the bed and stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks in it. The soft sound of its fan spinning, spinning, spinning filled her ears, and before long, she found herself dozing off.

Dark, dark, darkness.

…

…

…

_“Nanami-san, you may have a point…”_

_“Togami-kun, Kirigiri-san…”_

_“Yonaga Angie and Tsumiki Mikan. Yonaga… tropical island… Atua… do her bidding.”_

_“Nanami-san…”_

_“Nanami-san.”_

_“Nanami-san!”_

Something soft brushed her face, akin to the gentle tickling of a feather. Nanami nuzzled into the feeling, letting out a pleased hum. It felt like a pillow, or a cloud even. She felt as if she were floating and didn't feel like pulling herself down to earth. Not now, not now, not now. 

“N-Nanami-san?”

“Mmm…”

_“Let's play again tomorrow, Hajime. I feel like you're getting closer and closer to beating me each day.”_

_“Haha, if you say so.”_

_“I'm saying it because it's true, you know.”_

_“Ch-Chiaki…”_

Soft, like Hinata's bed during another round of playing video games with him. Soft, like the colors of the sunset after another day of spending time with her friends. Naegi, Kirigiri, Togami, Hinata. They were waiting to play with her today, too, weren't they? She had to wake up, so she could…

So she could...plan something…

So she could plan...something to do with them…

Nanami slowly peeled her eyes open, letting out a small groan as they tried to adjust to the light. A blur of green, grey, and white came into view, and she squinted.

“Nanami-san?”

Komaeda stared down at her, eyebrows furrowed with concern, a coat of red dusting his cheeks, and she let go of his hair immediately. 

“You're burning up...” She could barely make out what he was saying through her haze. 

“Hold on, I'll get Tsumiki-san.” He climbed off of her, removing his knees from either side of her waist, and made his way to the door. Nanami watched his retreating form with half-lidded eyes.

Komaeda re-entered the room, this time with Tsumiki in tow. The woman cradled sheets and medical supplies in her arms and was at Nanami's side in an instant, palming her forehead before sticking a thermometer in her mouth.

“O-One hundred five! Komaeda-san, m-move her so I can give her these lighter sheets!”

“Right.” The boy nodded in affirmation, and Nanami felt a layer of heat being pulled off of her form. “It's okay, Nanami-san…” He cooed as if he were speaking to an infant before lifting her to carry her bridal style. 

She shifted, uncomfortable.

“Nanami-san, I'm not going to make you lie on the floor.”

She shifted more, and he sighed.

“Tsumiki-san, I think she's getting restless. Could you hurry up over there?”

“Y-Yes!”

Not soon enough, Tsumiki finished tucking in the sheets, and Nanami was out of Komaeda's arms. Lying on the bed, she could just make out the pair's murmuring.

_“Is it...r-really okay to keep her in this room?”_

_“It'll be fine. All you'll have to do is_ **_nurse her back to health_** _, right?”_

_“Y-Yes, but-”_

_“Don't let us down again, Tsumiki-san. You're lucky to still be here after last night, remember? We had to get Junko, of all people, to make her eat. I'm giving you a second chance.”_

_“Yes, Komaeda-san…”_

Their voices faded into silence before long, and before Nanami let herself drift into unconsciousness but after hearing the soft sounds of a door opening and closing, Nanami felt the bed dip in the spot next to her.

“Nanami-san,” Tsumiki whimpered, running a hand through the girl's hair, “w-when you become one of us, don't g-give in to Komaeda.” 

In a softer voice, her caretaker whispered:

“D-Don't let him bully you like the rest of us. A-And we'll take care of you, Nanami-san. I will. I always will...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please give me your best tinfoil hat theories
> 
> _"They were waiting to play with her today, too, weren't they?"_
> 
> "togami-kun it's just a game calm down--"
> 
> "it stopped being a _game_ the moment you walked on my crops, hinata."
> 
> next chapter: a lot of komaeda being a creep™


	3. Advanced Darkness

“Nanami-san, w-would you like me to change your sheets again?”

“They're fine. Thank you, Tsumiki-san.”

“Would you l-like me to read you a story…?”

“No, that's alright.”

“I-I'm, um, annoying you a-aren't I? I'm sorry…!”

Nanami smiled, sitting up and placing a loose fist to her chest, “You aren't annoying me, Tsumiki-san. Talking to you...is nice, I think.”

The nurse's flushed face was red enough to match her fever-induced one. Tsumiki fidgeted, making quiet whimpering sounds in her spot. Nanami didn't question it.

“T-That's the first time anyone e-ever said that about me,” She muttered. “I, um, don't know how to d-deal with these feelings right now, s-so…forgive me!”

Nanami tilted her head.

“I'm pretty bad with feelings too. Let's work together to learn and do our best.”

Tsumiki continued to whimper.

She hadn't been lying when she said she enjoyed the girl's company. She seemed kind and had been at her side whenever she needed medical attention. Nanami figured that letting her know that she was valued would boost her apparent low self-esteem.

“Mmm...hmm...u-um, yes! L-Let's do our best!”

She had said it with such passion that Nanami couldn't help but let her smile widen. If she could reach out to everyone and figure out their motives, then maybe they would prove to be good enough people to let her go. Maybe she could introduce them to her friends, too.

She thought back to Enoshima's words.

_“How else would we keep in touch?”_

Did that imply they couldn't keep in touch with people outside of the school? How? Why? Did they not have any technology in the building? No, impossible. She remembered seeing a few cameras while walking with Hinata. Then…

Were they not _allowed_ to leave the building?

“N-Nanami-san, if you have any food requests, or any requests at all...please feel free to l-let me know.”

Nanami thought for a moment before asking, “Could you let me leave this room? I just want a tour of the building, if that's alright.”

Tsumiki hesitated before shaking her head. “I'm sorry, but...K-Komaeda-san said you weren't allowed out of here yet. I'll get in trouble if I d-disobey his orders, a-and you will too, s-so...forgive me!”

“Is Komaeda-kun the one in charge?” 

If Komaeda really was their leader, that would make him a final boss. She would have to gather allies to defeat him if she wanted to make it out of here with Hinata.

Tsumiki nodded shakily before shaking her head. 

“Y-Yes, but um...no. He always insists that we're a f-family and all of us hold equal power over the decisions w-we make as a whole, but...h-he's the one everyone listens to. He's the one w-who punishes us when we s-step out of line.” After saying that, Tsumiki seemed to curl into herself, placing her fists to her chest, “B-But I'm not supposed to say anything bad about him, because he's always listening and he knows everything and–!”

Nanami folded her hands over the nurse's, gently lowering them to the girl's lap.

“Tsumiki-san, if...you're having trouble breathing, could you take a deep breath and hold it for four seconds? Think of that as my request.”

Tsumiki did as told before letting her shoulders relax slightly.

“Nanami-san, I think it's t-time for me to take your temperature.”

The nurse stuck the thermometer from earlier in the day into her mouth and under her tongue, holding it there until the tool made a small beeping sound.

“O-One hundred two,” she smiled, looking at the item in her hand. “Your fever is going down, Nanami-san.”

“Thank you for your care, Tsumiki-san.”

Nanami vaguely recalled what had happened hours ago. She remembered how she had felt more than anything. Her skin and clothes were drenched with sweat, and the world appeared as nothing more than a blurry haze. Sounds were muffled, seconds dragged on like minutes, and everything was too hot, too hot, too hot.

Tsumiki squirmed. “I-It's my duty as a nurse. You've, um, been a r-really good patient.” She smiled, and Nanami smiled back.

—

Tsumiki had left after forcefully feeding her food, and Nanami found herself counting the cracks in the ceiling once more. She had been somewhere in the fifties before being interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Yoohoo!” The girl chirped upon entering the room. She had white hair and wore nothing save for a bikini under her yellow cardigan. A belt of what appeared to be artist tools lay around her waist.

Nanami swung her legs over the side of the bed to come to a sitting position. “Hello,” she waved lazily. “I'm Nanami Chiaki.” She knew that the girl probably already knew that. “It's nice to meet you.”

The girl grinned. "My name is Angie Yonaga. I'm the family artist!"

_Family artist._

It sounded innocent enough, but if what Tsumiki's words from earlier were anything to go by, everyone in their "family" had some sort of role. Artist, Nurse, Final Boss. Then, what were Enoshima and her sister?

"So, so!" Hands clasped behind her, Yonaga tilted her head to the left, then the right. "Atua's decided to decorate your room so you can feel more welcome, Chiaki. He's taken quite a liking to you, ya know?"

_Atua._

The strange name sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall ever hearing it anywhere.

_"Yonaga… tropical island… Atua… do her bidding."_

Her answer came to her in the form of a whisper at the back of her mind. Ignoring the pounding in her head, Nanami used the voice's words to ask a question.

"Hey, Yonaga-san, you're not from here, right?"

The artist nodded, cheery grin growing even wider. "Oh…! Chiaki wants to know about Angie’s island?"

The gamer thought for a moment, then she shook her head. "I'm more curious as to who Atua is right now, but you can always talk about your island to me sometime later." 

"You wish to know about Atua?" Yonaga clasped her hands next to her head. “First of all, Atua isn’t a person, silly. He’s the god of my island! He speaks to me with His divine voice and is always watching over us!”

Nanami frowned, eyebrows furrowing. “And...he’s taken a liking to me?”

“Of course, of course! No need to look so pensive, Chiaki.” Her smile grew dark, sending chills down Nanami's spine, and she pointed a paintbrush at her, “Atua is a fair god. He says that, as long as you’re good, He won’t hesitate to treat you nicely. But if you defy Him, you will be punished.” 

The mauve-haired girl’s eyes widened. She had never been a religious person, so it wasn’t Yonaga’s god that she feared. What frightened her the fact that she was being threatened in a situation where she was the most vulnerable. 

The sounds of the fan spinning over their heads and Yonaga’s humming were the only ones that filling the room for the next moment. The artist seemed to be studying her, bobbing her head from left to right with the smile that never seemed to leave her face. Nanami’s gaze traveled to the floor.

There had been something off about what Yonaga said. Something that hinted at a connection she just couldn’t help but make. 

She looked up.

“Does‒” “Nanami-san, are you ready?”

Komaeda cut her off upon entering the room, lips curled into that calm grin of his. Eyes shifting from her to Yonaga, and then back to her, however, he frowned. “Did something happen? Why are you two so tense?”

Nanami decided not to point out how Yonaga appeared to be the exact opposite of the word.

“Nyahahaha! Angie was just letting Chiaki know what Atua expects from her!”

As if that had explained everything, Komaeda nodded. “I see, I see.” Then, his eyes widened and he looked down to Nanami. “Oh, did she not tell you?”

She tilted her head. “Tell me what?”

The boy smiled. “Since she’ll be decorating your room, you’ll be staying with me for some time. Oh, but don’t worry!” He waved his hands in front of him defensively, “It shouldn’t be for more than a day or two.”

Nanami folded her arms across her chest, letting out a quiet sigh. “That’s…” She trailed off, deciding to ask a question instead. “Are there no other rooms available?” She forced herself to meet Komaeda’s eyes, taking note of his stance, his tone, his expression.

He looked...completely relaxed.

“Nope. I’m really sorry Nanami-san, but most of us are sharing a room with someone. You and I are the only ones who aren’t.” He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, “And it’s not like I’d ever lie to you, remember?”

Yonaga chimed in, “Nagito always keeps his promises!” 

He had apparently told the others about their conversation. And…

_"Most of us are sharing a room with someone. You and I are the only ones who aren’t.”_

It made sense that Komaeda would have a room to himself. He was the one in charge, after all. What didn't make sense was why _she_ would be kept in a room by herself. Yonaga, Komaeda, Tsumiki, and Enoshima and her sister. That made five, with two pairs and one extra. There were probably more people that she didn't know of yet, but it still made sense to ask.

"Where...are you keeping Hajime?"

Komaeda's eyes widened.

"'Keeping'? You make it sound like he's a prisoner!"

Nanami held her tongue.

"And anyway, don't worry about him. He's staying somewhere special for now." He smiled, "Now, shall we go, Nanami? You don't have to pack any clothes or anything; There should–" "You didn't answer my question, Komaeda-kun."

His smile didn't waver. 

"I answered, and I answered honestly, Nanami-san. It isn't like you asked for his exact location or anything. Plus, if I gave it to you, you would use any chance you had to try and find him, right?" He sighed, crossing his arms and glancing to the floor at his side. "It'd really ruin the surprise… I just want you two to be perfect, you know? I'm sorry if I'm being hard on you."

She didn't _hate_ Komaeda, nor did she dislike him. She knew that she didn't know him well enough to form an opinion on him, so it was best that she didn't misunderstand or jump to conclusions. What she could say with certainty, though, was that his crypticism had been the most irritating part of her time here.

"Anyway," the boy continued, "we should probably get going so Angie-san can get to work."

"Atua is very excited! He's practically bursting with energy!"

"With how much He loves your art, that's understandable." After saying that, Komaeda looked to Nanami. "Come on, Nanami-san. Let's go, alright? Like I said, you don't need to pack anything. Just follow me."

The gamer stared at the hand he held out to her.

When you touch a person, something is born from that interaction. Repulsion, anticipation, or in her case – taking in Komaeda's expectant expression – unease. But she knew that the longer she waited, the scarier it would seem, and if she just took his hand, things would turn out okay. She could use it as an opportunity to figure out their location in the building, and maybe find Hinata, too.

So she let herself be led out of the room and into the hallway.

Komaeda hummed a tune that sounded similar to the one Angie had been humming mere minutes ago. The hallway was dark, so much so that she couldn't see her feet, but the boy seemed to have no problem knowing where to go. It was as if he could actually see the path in front of him. 

Nanami tightened her grip on his hand and huddled closer to him, not wanting to trip and fall or stub her toe on anything. She used her other hand to feel along the nearby wall on the off chance that there was a light switch somewhere, but all she felt were doors and doorframes. If all of the rooms were occupied like Komaeda said they were, then the fact that she didn't hear any noise or see any light coming from them was odd. Especially since Yonaga was supposed to be decorating the room she was staying in.

"Are you scared, Nanami-san?" Even though he must have been in front of her, it was hard to tell where Komaeda's voice was coming from. "Sorry it's so dark. You must be having trouble, huh? I know this place pretty well, so as long as you stay close to me like you are now, you shouldn't hurt yourself."

Maybe it was just her, but that had sounded like code for, _"You wouldn't be able to make your way through this place without one of us, so don't try sneaking around."_

Nanami simply nodded in response to him, before realizing that he probably couldn't see it.

"Komaeda-kun, are we almost there?" She phrased it as if she were an impatient child during a long car ride, but with less enthusiasm than one. "I'm kind of sleepy…"

If she wouldn't find answers anywhere else, the mastermind's base of operations would be a good place to check. 

Soon enough, Komaeda stopped, and she heard the creaking of an opening door.

"We're here, Nanami-san." 

She let herself be gently pulled into the room, and Komaeda only turned on the lights after closing the door behind her. 

His room was larger than the one she had been put in. The arrangement of the light and dark grey squares on the walls reminded her of a checkerboard, and the carpet under her feet felt comfortable enough to sleep on. The bed, which was perfectly made, seemed big enough to fit at least three people. Nanami spotted a desk, much like the one in the room she had been forced to stay in, pushed against the wall in a corner opposite of the room's entrance. Not far from it was a door that must have led to either a closet or bathroom, and in the corner diagonal to the desk's one was a shelf that seemed to be filled to the brim with books.

"It isn't much, but I hope you'll be able to make yourself comfortable," Komaeda smiled. "You said you were tired, right? If you'd like to go to sleep, I've arranged a few things for you. Girl stuff and whatnot…" With an awkward chuckle, "You know, for showering? The, um, the bathroom is right there." He gestured to the door near the desk.

Nanami tilted her head, staring up at him.

"Nanami-san? Did I say something wrong?"

"Komaeda-kun...this situation doesn't have to be uncomfortable unless one of us makes it that way, I think. Hajime and I have sleepovers all the time."

"Ah, right…"

She walked past him and made her way into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. The bathroom's walls were grey, and she was starting to get the feeling that Komaeda really liked that color because near the bathroom's door was a grey marble sink and countertop. A shower stood next to a bathtub, and a mirror hung over the sink. A pair of cabinets occupied the space under the sink and countertop. 

There was another door inside of the bathroom that, after opening it, she found out led to a walk-in closet that was rather spacious. The carpet inside felt like the one she had been standing on in Komaeda's room. Like the closet in the room she had been put in, there were small shelves for shoes on the wall across from the door. Jackets, shirts, pants, and whatnot hung from the hangers on the rack over her head, and a shelf going around the top of the closet held neatly folded sheets and blankets. But what really caught her attention was a small box with a lid covering it, a note with her name on it having been placed on the top. 

Opening the lid revealed clothes, stuffed animals, and handheld consoles.

Nanami's eyes widened, and then she slapped herself, reminding herself that they were trying to gain her trust and make sure she felt comfortable enough to forget about leaving with Hinata.

That was what they were doing, right?

More importantly, there was a chance of there being some sort of hidden passage here. She would have to investigate more after she showered and slept. Grabbing a few articles of clothing from the box, she made her way out of the closet.

Showering in Komaeda's bathroom had been more uncomfortable than she had anticipated. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched and had to glance at the bathroom door more than once just to make sure she had locked it. When finished with that, she was quick in drying off and putting on the clothes she had picked out, along with doing everything else to prepare for bed.

Then, she stepped back inside of Komaeda's closet.

Nanami prided herself on her ability to fall asleep almost anywhere in almost any position. If she could fall asleep while walking to school Hinata, she was pretty sure she would be able to fall asleep on the carpet of Komaeda's closet. It would be better than sleeping in his bed with him, at least.

Standing on top of the box meant for her so she could reach the closet's top shelf, Nanami grabbed a few blankets before stepping to the floor. She kneeled, spreading one out before laying and layering another on top of it, repeating the process until there were no more blankets to add. After turning off the closet's light, the girl used one of the handheld consoles from the box to find her way to the makeshift bed.

Lying down and tucking herself in, an idea came to her.

She glanced at the Game Girl Advance next to her and fell asleep in what felt like no time at all.

…

…

…

Warmth.

Not an unpleasant kind, not like when she had her fever. It was more of a comfortable feeling, like the bed underneath her, or the pillows her head was resting on.

...She hadn’t fallen asleep in a bed.

With that in mind, Nanami pried her eyes open, only to see a checkered ceiling. Slowly, she turned on her side, and pale pink met an almost glowing grey-green. Komaeda smiled, placing a hand over her eyes.

“Go back to sleep for now, Nanami-san.”

She fell asleep in no time at all.

—

“I still can’t believe you fell asleep in the bathtub like that, Nanami-san…” Komaeda sighed, arms folded across his chest. “Imagine if I hadn’t gotten there in time. It didn’t help that you had locked the door.”

Nanami tilted her head. “Komaeda-kun, you just told me to imagine my lifeless body.”

"Exactly! You need to be more careful," he frowned. "You wouldn't want Tsumiki-san to have to stay by your side all the time, would you?"

While Tsumiki was the person she enjoyed spending time with the most here, if she was the nurse to their entire "family," it wouldn't be a good thing to have her to herself.

So, sitting on the edge of Komaeda's bed and looking down at the plate of breakfast in her lap, Nanami shook her head.

"Sorry I'm...already being such a burden, Komaeda-kun."

The white-haired boy seemed to panic, eyes widening, and he reached out his hands before withdrawing them as if he didn't know what he was supposed to do with them. He settled for shuffling closer to her and placing one on her shoulder. "Nanami-san, look at me." She did, only to be met with his eyes that she was sure had never been that captivating before.

"We love you, so you aren't a burden. We'd do anything for you." He said it with unwavering confidence, lips curling into that gentle smile of his with his hair framing his face and only drawing more of her attention to

his

eyes.

"Komaeda-kun, can you please stop touching me? It'd be difficult to eat like this." She hoped the narrow in her eyes hadn't been too obvious. Even if it had, Komaeda didn't say anything about it, instead hastily apologizing and removing his hand from her shoulder. A weight far bigger than his hand seemed to be lifted, and Nanami let her muscles relax where she hadn't noticed they had tensed. 

The room returned to normal where she hadn't noticed it had shifted.

The food in her lap didn't seem very appetizing anymore.

"I think I'm full. Thank you for the meal," she said to the boy next to her. Komaeda looked to her plate, and a corner of his smile twitched. 

"You aren't...going to eat more?"

How did he even expect her to respond to that?

After a short pause with her lips staying parted into an 'o' shape, Nanami closed her mouth and shook her head. "No, but the food was pretty good, so...thanks." She fought the urge to tell him that he was part of the problem. 

Komaeda let out the second sigh of their conversation. "I see… And she had been so certain that this was your favorite combination of breakfast foods." He placed his thumb and index finger to his forehead, mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

_She._

There was only one girl that had been mentioned that she hadn't met yet.

"Komaeda-kun, by 'she,' do you mean… Mukuro?"

He shook his head. "Ikusaba-san would _never_ make such a careless mistake. Honestly, I'm disappointed. She had been so close to you before handing you over to us, but it seems like we know you far better than her. I guess this is what happens when I listen to someone who isn't like us. I shouldn't have had any faith in her," he bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Nanami-san."

What.

_Ikusaba-san._

_Close to you before handing you over to us._

_Someone who isn't like us._

A jumble of questions filled her mind, making her head pound, making thinking difficult, making it hard to sort them all out and decide which one she should ask first.

"Nanami-san?"

Ironically, it was Komaeda's voice that snapped her out of it, and Nanami swallowed the lump in her throat.

Deep breath. Four seconds.

"If...she's Enoshima-san's sister, why the difference in last names?"

Komaeda shrugged. "You would have to ask her yourself."

"Um…" She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "What do you mean when you say that person was close to me? And that she...handed me over to you all?"

The boy smiled. "Exactly what I said. She's been a big help, actually. I mean, even if she hadn't willingly given you to us, we would have taken you anyway. But we've really been able to use the information she's given us to make you more comfortable."

Another question found its place on the tip of her tongue, but Nanami figured she would ask the one she was far more prepared for the answer to.

"What do you mean, 'someone who isn't like us'?"

"Someone who isn't part of the family, of course." Komaeda frowned. "It isn't like you to ask questions with such obvious answers, Nanami-san."

"But...Hajime and I aren't part of the family."

Komaeda’s eyes widened at that. "What? Of course you two are! Who told you otherwise? Was it Junko?"

Once again, Nanami was reminded that she would have to get out of here soon. 

"Komaeda-kun, we aren't…" She trailed off, mind wandering to the Game Girl Advance she had hidden in his closet, and decided she couldn't risk him finding out about her escape plan. Nanami decided to ask her other question. "Who's...the person you're receiving information from?"

Komaeda seemed to have recovered from his shock, as he had no problem answering, "Hinata Hajime's mother."

Nanami blinked.

One part of her told her that all of the worries for Hinata's safety, as well as all of the confusion when asked where he was, were lies. Another part of her told her that it was fine, that she would figure out his mother's reasons behind everything and overcome doubt so she could believe in her.

Yeah.

Things would probably be fine if she thought like that.

"Ah, Nanami-san." Komaeda looked to her plate of unfinished breakfast, his disappointment in Hinata's mother resurfacing. "That food is definitely cold now. I guess I'll take it away…" He let out a sigh, grabbing the plate and removing it from its spot in her lap, and Nanami didn't bother telling him that Hinata's mother had been right in it being her favorite breakfast meal. 

"Sit tight. I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" He sent her one last smile before leaving the room. Nanami waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before standing up and glancing around the room. 

She found herself wondering how they even lived here. Hope's Peak was a tourist attraction with nearly hundreds of visitors each day it was open, so the thought of no one having ever discovered them before didn't make any sense. Additionally, the unnatural darkness of the hallways seemed strange, as she remembered the building having quite a bit of windows and lights. Something that she also couldn't understand, something that she needed to find out, was what Komaeda could have said or done to force Hinata's mother to make this kind of a deal with him.

That was why she would thoroughly investigate Komaeda's room with the little time she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this isn't your average, everyday darkness.
> 
> _"komaeda-kun, by 'she,' do you mean… mukuro ikusaba, the sixteenth student lying hidden somewhere in this school? the one they call the ultimate despair? watch out for her?"_
> 
> next chapter: this is...advanced darkness.


	4. Pitfall

“Kirigiri, calm down!”

“I _am_ calm.”

Togami pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a loud exhale. People who knew the heir well enough could say that he was the most stressed he had ever been, and it wouldn’t be an inaccurate statement. More than a few wrinkles had filled his suit, with his hair being so wild one could make the mistake of thinking he had just gotten out of bed. He resisted the urge to pace around the room and instead tapped his index finger against the arm of his chair, having figured that if Kirigiri wouldn’t stay calm, _one_ of them had to keep their composure. 

“Don’t lie. That’s the second glass you’ve crushed in the past hour,” he huffed.

“It’s… It’s been two days, Togami-kun. Hinata is missing, and Nanami-san has been kidnapped. By how close the times these events occurred were, along with the evidence that Yonaga Angie and Tsumiki Mikan _‒_ who are supposed to be dead _‒_ have Hinata’s phone in their possession and are residing in Hope’s Peak with Komaeda Nagito ‒ _who is also supposed to be dead_ _and wants Nanami-san for whatever reason_ ‒ it’d be safe to say these events are related.” 

Togami rolled his eyes. “Obviously. However…” He frowned, “I refuse to believe we’re dealing with the actual victims of the human experimentation.”

Kirigiri pressed the knuckle of her index finger to her chin, seeming to have regained at least a bit of her composure. “You can’t deny that it looked just like him. Though, it would do us good to ascertain whether it was actually him or not.”

“It wasn’t him. That’s final.”

Her shoulders twitched in what could be interpreted as a shrug.

Togami clicked his tongue. “Moving on, I can’t stop thinking about his words from that night.”

Kirigiri nodded, taking a sip of the coffee a maid had provided after cleaning up her mess. She closed her eyes, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s the same for me. It’d be best if we didn’t dismiss them. After all, they gave us quite a bit of information.”

_The boy who happened to look like Komaeda watched Nanami’s body fall limply to the floor, eyebrows furrowing._

_“Ah, maybe I should have caught her…”_

_Togami’s features contorted into a scowl, and Kirigiri rushed to Nanami’s side, cradling the girl in her arms._

_“Don’t worry, Kirigiri-san! I’d never do anything to harm her, so she should be fine.” The Komaeda look-alike grinned, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “We finally have her, you know? It’d be a shame if anything were to happen to her.”_

_The detective narrowed her eyes at him._

_“What are you–” “Of course,” he interrupted, “my generosity doesn’t extend to the two of you.”_

_It was Togami’s turn to glare, and the heir crossed his arms, chin jutting out. “Is that a threat?”_

_Annoyingly, Not-Komaeda’s smile didn’t waver. “More like a warning. I’m glad you both have taken care of her in our place for so long, but she doesn’t need you anymore. Any further meddling would just make two, well, annoyances. Please understand.” He cast a glance to Nanami’s unconscious form. “I’m being patient for her sake.”_

_“I don’t need your patience,” Togami growled. “You do know who I am, right?”_

_“Of course.” He crossed his arms, smile curling into a smirk. “I know all about you. Both of you, actually. We wouldn’t have left her in your care if we weren’t sure she would be in good hands.”_

_“What does that…?”_

_In the middle of his intense staring match with the boy, Togami found himself trailing off, body gently swaying. He let out a grunt, the world fading into shades of green and grey._

_“Goodnight, Togami-kun, Kirigiri-san. Thank you for your hard work!”_

Togami heard Kirigiri let out a quiet sigh. The detective looked down to stare into her coffee.

“Nanami-san was taken away right before our eyes. Hinata was kidnapped nearly twenty-four hours before that.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “It isn’t like you to say something so pointless. We already know that.”

Kirigiri met his glare with a neutral expression. “Let me finish.”

He let out a short huff.

“As I was saying,” the girl continued, “it's safe to say these two events are related, but didn’t you notice how Komaeda didn’t say anything about Hinata? His words suggested that he had been observing Nanami-san for some time, and he outright stated that he had information on us as well. Normally, I would say that there was a strong possibility he hadn’t been telling the truth, but he apparently knows about our relationship with Nanami-san. 

“If he knows about our friendship with her, he most definitely knows how close she and Hinata are. It’s possible he was using him as bait to lure Nanami-san into Hope’s Peak, but if that were the case, why didn’t he just take them both the first time around? It would have made things a lot simpler for him and harder for us. 

“We know that Yonaga and Tsumiki have Hinata’s phone in their possession, so he was most likely restrained or unconscious when they took it. Judging by how Komaeda reacted when he found them speaking to Nanami-san, it’s possible he is or was being kept in a room they weren’t permitted to enter. With this in mind, Komaeda most likely has more power than them or is actually the one giving orders.” 

Togami leaned back in his chair, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. “I’m surprised. It’s not often that you share your deductions with others.”

Kirigiri crossed her arms, glancing to the side. “You said you would reopen the case, didn't you?”

“Tch. Two innocents have been _kidnapped_ , Kirigiri. There isn’t much else to do.”

The detective’s lips curled into a soft, yet confident smirk.

— 

**_Investigation:_ **

Komaeda's room was...quite nice, actually, if a little barren. The room felt like it didn't belong to him at all. There were no major decorations that could have hinted at his personality, and aside from the books on the bookshelf near the door, it seemed like the boy had nothing to entertain himself with. When he wasn't giving orders or doing whatever leaders do, Komaeda had to have some way to relax during his downtimes, right? 

...Oh.

Nanami puffed out her reddening cheeks.

She decided she would check the drawer of his desk first, knowing it would take the least amount of time out of everything. Upon pulling it outward, the first things that greeted her eyes were papers. Envelopes, folders, letters, and articles. She furrowed her brows, remembering how Komaeda had said he would be back in a few minutes. Knowing she wouldn’t have time to read and analyze every paper, she decided to at least skim the contents of the ones that seemed the most important. Her strategy of digging near the bottom of the drawer proved itself useful, as the first paper that she grasped was...

A study.

A study on her relationship with Hinata.

She read it quickly, yet carefully, eyebrows knitting as she went along. It felt as if the author had somehow gotten inside her mind when writing, like an invasion of such privacy it left her feeling exposed. They had made sure to put more than a bit of emphasis on how close she and Hinata were, and that was fine, but there was something that made Nanami frown when she caught on to it. 

The interactions between her and Hinata that the author pointed and analyzed had been private, as far she knew.

The second paper that caught her attention was an essay of some sort, the title, _Nanami Chiaki: Young and Gifted._ From the title, along with words and phrases like “Gaming,” “Friends,” and “Childhood,” it was easy enough to gather that it was about her passion for gaming and the experiences she had before deciding it was what she wanted to do with her life. The essay included information on all of her desires, anxieties, and struggles that she had never told anyone but Hinata about.

The third paper was a letter.

A letter about Hinata.

A letter that Nanami pocketed and decided to thoroughly read when she had more time.

After a bit of extra sifting, she noticed a pattern with the articles and letters and documents and folders. They all contained information about not just her, but Hinata as well. Most of the papers in the drawer were about their friendship, putting more than a little emphasis on how close they were. It only made her more confused about what Komaeda could have wanted with the both of them, but this was good. It was better to be confused by having too much information than to be confused by not having any.

With that done, Nanami pushed in the desk’s drawer and stepped away, turning to scan the room. Komaeda hadn’t gotten back yet, and the only other thing in the room that stood out to her was that...really intimidating bookshelf that she didn’t have time to comb through at the moment. 

What she decided on, instead, was looking behind the bookshelf and into the space between it and the wall, a smile tugging at her lips when she noticed a small leather book leaning against the wall, different from the ones actually on the bookshelf. What looked like a tiny metal skull glimmered in the light, and Nanami knew she had seen a skull like that on Komaeda’s pants before. The chain attached to one of the skull’s ends wrapped around the book, only to come around the front of the book again and link to the skull’s other end in a fashion that vaguely reminded her of a lock. In fact, the entire book was similar to―

_‘Is this...Komaeda-kun’s diary?’_

Unfortunately, the gap between the wall and the bookshelf was too narrow for her arm, and the shelf seemed like it would be too heavy for her to move.

The closet was next. Nanami stood on top of her box to glance around the closet’s top shelf until she spotted the neatly-folded blanket that she had hidden the Game Girl Advance in. Her escape plan was simple, but if she didn’t make use of it before being sent back to the room Yonaga was currently decorating, there was no telling whether or not she’d ever get to.

She frowned.

After stepping off of the box, Nanami looked around the closet. For some reason, and somehow, it was only filled with copies of the same outfit. She tried feeling inside of jacket and pant pockets, only to come out empty-handed. It was only when she gave up on the suspicious-looking clothes and instead decided to drag her fingers along the walls of the closet that something happened. She felt a small area of one rise against her palm, flat and rectangular.

She pushed the button.

…

Darkness.

The passageway that had unveiled itself after she had pressed the button on the wall was frighteningly dark. Worse than it had been in the hallway because she didn’t have Komaeda to guide her this time. Didn’t have Komaeda to hold her hand and assure her that everything was fine. She swallowed thickly, a shiver going down her spine. The tunnel’s air was stale and cold, and she hadn't even taken her first step in. 

Nanami took a few steps back and turned away to retrieve her Game Girl Advance.

Once done, she turned on the device and shined the light of its screen into the passageway. The beam was instantly swallowed by the darkness, and Nanami wondered how long this tunnel was before angling the light at the ground instead. She could see the ground around her feet that way, at least. Shoulders tense, she walked on, steps echoing off the tunnel’s walls and breaking the space’s overwhelming silence but aiding in her awareness of the fact that she was _alone_.

_Step, step, step._

Nanami felt as if her body were on autopilot, felt separated from it.

_Step, step, step._

She began focusing less on the sound and more on the tunnel’s darkness that, when looking up from the faint light the console in her hands provided, made the path feel endless. At the same time, however, it made the area appear to have no set path at all. It was disorienting, chilling. 

_Step, step, st–_

“...Nanami-san?”

Light.

“Ko...Komaeda-kun?”

Nanami squinted, trying to let her eyes adjust. Her body felt heavy for some odd reason, and she took a moment to take in the surrounding area, letting out a yawn that turned into a coughing fit. Just as it had been in the tunnel, the new room’s air was stale, and she was pretty sure a fine layer of dust coated most of the objects within it. She could make out Komaeda’s panicked expression out of the corner of her eye and held up a hand to signal that she was fine and probably wasn’t dying. 

Standing up straight from when she had doubled over, Nanami scanned the room. 

It wasn’t too large, nor did it appear to be that complicated. Dark walls formed a simple square, with stacks of old and worn books in each of the corners. A bookshelf stood on the wall across from the entrance, the books having been replaced with empty wine bottles. She raised an eyebrow at that, before looking down to the wooden floor that was littered with brittle papers – some torn, some not – and random objects. Said objects and papers had been cleared out of the room’s center to make space for a small table and two chairs. On top of the table sat a candle that seemed to have been lit not too long before she arrived, illuminating its surroundings with its faint light.

Komaeda sat in one of the chairs, focus fully on her now, but Nanami was more interested in the girl that sat across from him. She had straight black hair that went down to her shoulders, and Nanami could just make out the freckles on her face with the glow of the table’s candle. Sharp, narrow blue eyes watched the flame dance and dance and dance, not acknowledging her until she asked, with a tilt of her head,

“Are you...Ikusaba Mukuro?”

The girl’s shoulders stiffened, and she turned to her, nodding even more stiffly and not quite meeting her eyes. Her pale cheeks darkened to a pinkish shade.

“I’m Nanami Chiaki.” Then, “Enoshima-san told me about you.”

Ikusaba perked up at that, opening her mouth – presumably to say something – when Komaeda interrupted, lips quirked downward just a little. The boy stared at Nanami, and though he was sitting down, it felt as if he were towering over her. 

“Nanami-san, I’m always glad to see you, really, but you shouldn’t be here.” His smile was colder than she had ever seen it.

She had forgotten that the room was supposed to be a secret.

She wanted to ask what they were keeping from her, but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, and her lips refused to part. Komaeda’s chilling smile was replaced with one of absolute affection, and the boy patted his thigh.

“Come here, Nanami-san.”

She didn’t move. Not out of any sort of defiance, but because her body refused to.

“Nanami-san,” Komaeda repeated, “ _come here._ ”

And she saw green and grey and green and grey and green. Her head pounded, thoughts far too loud and cacophonous for her to even consider not listening to him, and she was walking over to Komaeda before she knew it because she wasn’t sure _why_ but she knew he would be able to make it all _stop_ somehow. 

The boy gently lowered her onto his lap, his arms wrapping around her waist with one of his hands cradling her head in the crook of his neck, fingers combing through her hair. She felt Komaeda’s body relax, heard him practically purr, a sigh of utter contentment leaving his lips. She felt Ikusaba’s stare on back, heard the girl clear her throat slightly, the beginning of a word escaping her before she stopped herself. She felt Komaeda’s hand on her waist move, heard him speak when she started dozing off, voice more chipper than before.

“Ah, sorry for ignoring you for a second just now, Ikusaba-san. As I was saying about A–…”

—

“I see, I see…” 

Kirigiri watched Tanaka nod and take a sip of the steaming tea in front of him. Togami sat next to her with his arms crossed, grumbling to himself because _"you're really going to let_ ** _him_** _be involved in this case?"_

She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "What are your thoughts?" 

Tanaka frowned. "This is...strange, I admit. The harmless kitten has wandered into the beasts' clutches, even after promising to heed my warning."

_What._

"Warning, you say?" Togami perked up.

A nod.

"I let her know of the dangers that would befall one as defenseless as her upon entering that building, and she stated that she would inform Hinata immediately and persuade him to reconsider touring that," he clicked his tongue, " _hellish structure_."

Kirigiri took the time to make a note of that before glancing to Togami, whose features had contorted into a rather pensive expression. 

"Nanami-san never breaks promises, does she?" Her eyes shifted back to Tanaka. 

"Tell us everything you know about Hope's Peak."

—

Peeling her eyes open, Nanami found herself back in Komaeda's bed, her Game Girl Advance next to her. She let out a soft yawn, limbs heavy, and closed her eyes to let herself drift back into slumber before the day's events came flooding back to her.

The papers, the letter, the essay.

The diary, the secret room, Ikusaba.

Komaeda.

Someone whose name starts with an A.

She found herself trying to make sense of that last one, but a pair of arms pulled her into a tight embrace, and she let out a startled gasp.

"N-Nanami-san! You're awake!"

Tsumiki sobbed into her shoulder, and Nanami fought the urge to let out a hiss when she dug her nails into her back. 

“What happened? Where are Komaeda-kun and Ikusaba-san?”

At that, the nurse pulled back, pursing her lips. “They h-had some business to attend to, so I took care of you while you were asleep. I’m sure Komaeda-san w-would have looked after you himself if he h-had the time, but you had to deal with me instead. I’m sorry!”

“Thank you, Tsumiki-san. You’re really helpful, but… why would Komaeda-kun make you watch over me when all I was doing was sleeping?” Nanami tilted her head.

Tsumiki paused, seemingly to think. “Um, all he said was that you had been misbehaving, and he didn’t want you to try anything l-like that again when you woke up. I don’t know anything other than that, but you’ll forgive me, right?”

It appeared to be an improvement in the nurse’s confidence, so Nanami nodded. “You haven’t done anything wrong, though, Tsumiki-san. You weren’t there, so it isn’t your fault if you don’t have all of the answers.”

“But K-Komaeda-san _always_ has all of the answers…” It was a mutter that came out just loud enough for the gamer to hear. “Even if I’m not like him, you’re still so kind to me. You’re so f-forgiving, Nanami-san. Just like her.”

_Her._

A...?

“Tsumiki-san, are Komaeda-kun and Ikusaba-san still in that room?”

Tsumiki looked genuinely confused by that question. She raised a curious brow. “Nanami-san, what are you talking about?”

“The room in the closet.”

“The… The closet. I’m not really sure what you mean, b-but we can check if you’d like.”

Tsumiki let go of her and stood from where she had been sitting on Komaeda’s bed, making her way to the bathroom door. Nanami followed, her lips curling into a subtle frown. 

Once they stepped inside the closet, she pointed to the wall where she had felt the button.

“It was over here. I think.” 

She pressed her palm to it, frown becoming less subtle when she didn’t feel it in the place she had last time. Her eyebrows furrowed when she didn’t feel it on that wall at all.

“U-Um, maybe it’s on a different wall?”

It wasn’t on the second wall she felt, nor was it on either of the closet’s other two. 

“But… But it was right here,” she said, eyes trained on her hands in her lap, after describing the button’s shape, texture, and estimated size to Tsumiki.

“Nanami-san, sweetie, I don’t think there’s anything like that here.”

If she had looked up for even a second, she wouldn’t have missed the nurse’s small smile.

—

Tsumiki left sometime after that, and Nanami picked out clothes to take another uncomfortable shower and get ready for the possible night. The girl checked the walls of the closet again and sighed when she didn’t feel nor see anything. Once done with that, she wasted no time getting ready for the night, leaving the bathroom with her Game Girl Advance clutched in her hands.

Komaeda sat at the foot of the bed, one leg crossed over the other, leaning back and using his hands to keep his upper body propped up.

"Nanami-san, don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, okay?"

He sat up straight and raised a hand, an envelope held between his index and middle fingers.

The letter.

The letter about Hinata.

The letter that she had tucked into the pocket of her skirt.

"How… When did you–"

Komaeda rolled his eyes. "Tsumiki-san wasn't exaggerating when she told you I see everything that goes on around here. I knew all along, and it wasn't hard to take it from you. I mean, I wouldn't make you sit on my lap with no reason to do so, would I?" He let out a sigh. "The fact that you're trying to keep things from me, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me a little angry."

He stood up to turn off the room's lights.

"Now, come to bed, Nanami-san. You should be able to sleep in your room again tomorrow. Angie put a lot of effort into making it seem more personal to you, so I think you'll really like it."

_“I see everything that goes on around here.”_

Assuming Komaeda was telling the truth, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?

Nanami gripped the console in her hands tighter.

"Komaeda-kun."

He grinned at her. "Yes, Nanami-san?"

"What happened to the room in the closet?"

Komaeda shrugged. "It's still there, you know. You just can't access it. Even if you did something as extreme as tearing down the closet's wall, you wouldn't be able to find it."

A dull ache was growing in her head. "But _how_?"

"It's simple. We didn't want you to find it again, so we made sure you wouldn't be able to find it. Just like how I took this letter because I didn't want you to read it. Now, come to bed, alright?"

She was reminded of the power they held over her.

Crawling into Komaeda's bed and tucking herself in, Nanami raised the Game Girl Advance to her face and tried to busy herself with playing something. Komaeda decided to lie beside her.

"Nanami-san, isn't staying up late at night to play video games bad for you?"

"…I'm fine, Komaeda-kun."

"Nanami-san…"

"I'll go to sleep in a minute, probably."

A moment passed, then a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, Komaeda pulling her closer to his form and making her hold on the handheld device loosen, it falling onto the bed and between them.

"To be honest, it makes me a bit sad when you ignore me for stuff like this. Maybe letting Junko give you those toys was a mistake…"

Maybe it was the exhaustion the day had left her with. Maybe it was the sound of Komaeda's voice as he had an incredibly one-sided conversation with her. Maybe it was a combination of the two that made Nanami fall asleep so soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here, we see chiaki meeting mukuro ikusaba, the sixteenth student-- 
> 
> i mean...
> 
> once again, please give me your best tinfoil hat theories.


	5. Unease

Still.

That was the thing she noticed upon waking. 

Komaeda’s chest didn’t rise or fall. She didn't hear the boy letting out any breaths, nor did she see him doing so. His arms hung around her waist in a loose grip, so cold it was almost frightening. Nanami thought, briefly, that the boy was doing a fine impression of a corpse.

With a slow, careful hand, she pried one of his arms off of her. The room was pitch black, so as long as she made sure not to alert Komaeda of her movements, she would probably be able to sneak into the hallway. One hand curled around her Game Girl, finding comfort in the coolness of the object, and Nanami slinked out of bed.

Feeling the soft carpet beneath her toes, she realized it had been… almost anticlimactic. Komaeda’s eyes didn’t snap open, nor did the boy suddenly reach out a hand and grab her wrist in an iron grip. In fact, he didn’t stir at all, something that worried Nanami more than it relieved her. However, she knew she had a mission to complete, and that in order to complete that mission, she couldn’t afford to be hesitant. Hesitance would make her entire escape plan fall apart.

She had slept on the right side of Komaeda’s bed, and the door to the room was on the left side of the room. With that in mind, she let herself fall to her knees, crawling in what she figured to be that direction and feeling around until her hand – the one that wasn’t clutching her Game Girl – met a crack. Nanami slid her fingers underneath before retracting them and moving them to the left and upward. There was a bit of raised wall accompanied by a much smaller crack than the one she’d felt before. A door and doorframe. 

The gamer stood, dragging her hand up the door until she found its knob. Once she did, she curled the hand around it and

slowly, carefully

turned.

...

She couldn’t see anything, but that was fine. Pulling the door to Komaeda’s room and closing it behind her, Nanami raised the hand holding her Game Girl and turned the console on, once again taking the approach of directing its screen downward so that the light shined on the floor ahead of her. She remembered from walking with Komaeda that the hallway was narrow, so all she’d have to do would be to choose a direction to start walking in, and she would be fine. Probably.

Nanami turned and began making her way to the left.

There didn’t appear to be any objects in her way, so it was easy enough to stay on her path. She passed doors, doors, and more doors, keeping a steady pace until she heard a scream. 

_Until she heard a scream._

—

“So, let’s go over this one more time.” Togami took a seat in his recliner, crossing his legs, then his arms. “We’re dealing with _evil spirits_ that want Nanami to _join their cult_ so she can become one of them, lend the _Cursed One_ some of her power, and aid him in unleashing hell upon this world.”

“No, Togami-kun. We’re dealing with ‘walking husks that clawed their ways from the depths of the underworld to feast upon the pure souls of those like Nanami.’”

“Tch. This is ridiculous.”

Kirigiri used a hand to flip her hair over her shoulder before taking a seat in front of him. “I can’t say I disagree, but it isn’t just about what Tanaka-kun said. This entire situation is strange.” She reached inside of her jacket, pulling out a notepad. “We’ve spoken to Tanaka-kun. That leaves Saihara-kun, his uncle, my grandfather, and Naegi-kun.”

Togami screwed his eyes shut, his brows twitching, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Naegi?”

“You never know. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Naegi-kun is smarter than he lets on, if a bit naive.” She reached toward the coffee table and took a sip from her third cup of the day.

“Right,” the heir let out a snort. “I’m a magical fairy princess, and the sky is green.”

—

Loud, _terrified_ screaming, grating on her ears and making her blood curl. 

Nanami’s eyes widened, and she picked up her pace, breaking into a sprint. She heard the scream come from the right, then left, then in front of her. It was disorienting, but she didn’t stop running. The girl clutched her Game Girl even tighter in her hands, knowing that if she dropped it, it would be difficult for her to recover it. 

_“Ch-Chi-! Mmph!” “Shh, it’s okay, it’s all right. This won’t hurt any more than what I did last time. Just relax, okay?’_

That was Hinata’s voice!

Nanami let out a gasp, and she forced herself to run, run, run, ignoring the aching in her legs along with her shortage of breath. The voices, the screaming, they were getting closer, so close that she could almost _feel_ Hinata’s presence, and then–

And then a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a hug from behind. Her Game Girl clattered to the floor, and the arms tightened around her, causing Nanami to let out a pained hiss. Why? She had been so close, so why…?

“Nanami-san~!” Her apprehender cooed, resting their chin in the crook of her neck, and she knew _exactly_ who it was. “What are you doing, being up so late? Hey, Nanami-senpai, don’t you need sleep? You aren’t one of us yet, after all...” Long, sharp objects that she figured to be Enoshima’s abnormally long nails dug into her sides, and Nanami bit her lip to suppress a cry.

“I…”

“Nagito didn’t let you out, huh?” Enoshima didn’t wait for her to respond. “You snuck out, didn’t you? Aww, what a cute little rebel!” The hand clutching her left side released it to wander to her cheek and give it a pinch. “But…” Enoshima’s voice deepened, and she adopted a more serious tone, “was this _really_ your master plan?” There was a sudden light being shone in her eyes, and Nanami had to wonder how Enoshima had grabbed her Game Girl Advance when she’d been holding her the entire time.

“Using a little light to make your way around? Sheesh, it’s no wonder why Nagito wasn’t worried about you escaping. And here I’d gotten excited,” Enoshima sighed. “Silly Nanami-san,” she tutted, “the darkness here comes from more than the lack of light, you know.” The girl said that with a purr, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. “What shampoo do you use? Because it smells, like, really good.”

Ignoring both the jarring shift in topic and the fact that Enoshima probably already knew, Nanami opened her mouth to call out, “Hajime!”

“Eh, seriously? Now I’m just disappointed.” There was a groan. “ _Listen_ , Nanami-san.”

The gamer focused and did as told. Silence. 

“Yeah, no more screaming. Isn’t that nice? It was getting kind of annoying, honestly, what with how long it went on for. The first half-hour was fine, but two hours after that, and _I_ was on the verge of screaming. I’m hoping that guy won’t be that noisy once everyone’s finished with him.”

“W-What are you doing to him? What are you doing to Hajime?”

“Me? Oh, nothing right now. That was Tsumiki-san who you were hearing. Between you and me,” Enoshima lowered her voice to a whisper and raised her head to place her lips near Nanami’s ear, “I think she was being rough with him earlier.”

“What are you saying? Just– Just let him go…” She wouldn’t beg. No matter what, she wouldn’t beg.

“No can do,” the other girl chirped. “As much as I hate Nagito, I think he’s on to something with you guys. He says we need both of you, so we can’t just have one or the other.”

Enoshima’s perfume was choking her, its scent pooling in her mind and clouding her senses, and Nanami had to force herself to think and then articulate those thoughts. They wanted Hinata. They wanted Hinata and her. They needed them to be together. They needed them to be together for…?

“Enoshima-san, why does Komaeda-kun want both of us? What do you all want with us?”

“Simple. Nanami-san,” the gamer could practically _hear_ Enoshima’s smirk, “what’s a pet without its owner? S-Strays are pretty sad,” Enoshima sniffled as if her mood had changed entirely. “There’s nothing like seeing an animal that needs someone to guide it but doesn’t have that someone…”

A pet without its owner?

“And anyway,” Enoshima spoke again, snapping Nanami out of her thoughts, “I’m pretty sure, even if we could let one of you guys go, none of us would choose to let go of _you,_ Nanami-senpai. You’ve already made such a good impression, so everyone’s totally possessive of you.” The hand that had been clutching her side the entire time let go to curl around her wrist, and Nanami bit her lip when those nails that had been digging into her torso dug into her skin.

“Just so we’re clear, ‘ _everyone_ ’ includes me.”

“Then… that’s why you stopped me?”

“Mmm… Nope! I just wanted to have a talk with you, fill you in on some things. Things like the fact that everyone here is pretty shitty. Nagito’s dangerous and untrustworthy, which I’m sure you already know, Yonaga-san’s incredibly manipulative, and Tsumiki-san’s one of our best actors.”

“Enoshima-san,” Nanami began slowly, “why are you telling me this?”

“ _Because,_ Nanami-san, I want what’s best for you, and if you feel like escaping with your little boyfriend is what’s best, then,” Enoshima’s voice deepened again, but this time she adopted a more punkish tone, “Nagito can go shove it up his loose ass!” 

“I’m just saying,” seriousness crept back into Enoshima’s voice, and Nanami felt the arm clutched in the girl’s deathly grip being lifted over her head before she was spun around, “escaping won’t be easy.” Still digging her nails into her arm, breaking the skin at this point, Enoshima held up Nanami’s Game Girl advance, angling the screen of the handheld console so its light hit her face just right. “The journey to the outside world will be a long, hard one, with the fearless being the only to proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road.”

“The outside world…” Nanami repeated that, staring up at the other girl. “Enoshima-san, how big is this place? Why aren’t there any windows? If we’re really in Hope’s Peak, where are we?”

“If you want honest answers to your questions, go to Nagito. Unlike with him, you didn’t make any promises with me. I have no reason _not_ to lie to you, especially since that’d make things more fun. Buuut… since I like you, and since I’m so nice, I’ll let you ask one question that I’ll give you nothing but the truth to!”

One question. That meant it had to be a good one – one where the information would benefit her in the long run. 

Komaeda was too much of a mystery for her to narrow him into one question. She could ask about A, but then the bigger questions of where they were and what their role was in the “family” would arise. There was a chance that Enoshima knew about Komaeda’s diary, considering that the two were close enough to call one another by their given names, but she doubted that the girl had memorized its contents. That left the question she had asked several times now.

“Where’s Hajime?”

Hopefully, she would get an answer this time.

Enoshima grinned. “From here, two doors down and make a right. Keep going until you see a door set aside from all the others. That’s our lab, where _Hajime’s_ currently becoming less of a lame-ass.”

Nanami’s eyes widened, and she tried to yank her arm away from the other girl. For someone who didn’t seem like it, Enoshima was surprisingly strong. Strong enough to keep her in place, with claws so sharp that they cut through her skin like paper. They made long, deep gashes that tore a cry from her throat, and Nanami could only make out a smile before she shut her eyes.

Was it a smile? With teeth like those, it had been hard for her to tell.

“Sleep tight, Nanami-senpai…!”

...

She woke with a groan, peeling her eyes open to see a pink ceiling with opaque and translucent clouds painted on it. Judging by the softness underneath her, she was in a bed, and judging by the giant Galaga spaceship painted on the wall in front of said bed, Yonaga had finished decorating, and she was back in the room she’d been placed in before.

Her rescue mission had been a bust.

Nanami fought the urge to let out a sigh.

She didn’t feel like getting up. She didn’t feel like doing anything. She was… tired, even though she had just woken up.

What day was it? How long had it been? How long had Hinata been tortured for? How much longer would he be tortured? 

How many more times would she try and fail to save him?

That question lingering her mind, Nanami pulled the bed’s admittedly-soft comforter over her head. It was different from the one she’d been given at first – white with pink pixels covering the bottom half of it, sparse where they began but growing denser as they neared the end of the comforter. Nanami wondered where Yonaga had gotten a blanket so unique in such a short period of time, and then her mind wandered to the question of how Enoshima had found such a wide variety of consoles.

Could everything have been prepared before she arrived?

The thought filled her with even more unease than before, and the gamer pulled the covers further over her head. She felt as if she were a small child hiding from a boogeyman, shielding themselves with nothing but a few blankets and hoping that making themselves as small as possible would be enough to ensure their safety.

But what would blankets do against rows upon rows of jagged teeth?

How would curling into a ball help when freakishly long – freakishly _sharp_ – claws came to slash at their trembling form? If anything, it’d just make them easier to eat.

Nanami brought her knees to her chest.

These thoughts weren’t good for her. They certainly wouldn’t bring her closer to saving Hinata, Hinata, Hinata, Hinata-kun, _Hajime._ They wouldn’t free him from an operating table. They wouldn’t break him out of a lab. They wouldn’t aid her in aiding him when the time came to run and run and run from Hope’s Peak and never look back.

She couldn’t afford to be afraid.

Maybe, if she tried sleeping the fear away, it would actually work this time.

Nanami shut her eyes and cleared her mind the best she could, letting intrusive thoughts fade and putting important questions aside for later. Seconds, then minutes, then moments later, she found herself relaxing. It wasn’t long after that she abandoned her fetal position and dozed off.

—

Tsumiki worried her lip, raising a hand to twirl a lock of choppy hair around her finger. 

The nurse was excited, perhaps _t_ _oo_ excited for someone who had merely been given the task of bandaging someone’s arm, but she couldn’t help it; taking care of Nanami was always so much fun that she’d briefly forget that the girl wasn’t hers. From the way she would tilt her head cutely whenever she was the slightest bit confused, to the way she always forgave her without a second thought, to the way she spoke to everyone as if they were her equal, everything about her was too precious for a place like Hope’s Peak.

Everything about her was too precious for things like the beings of Hope’s Peak.

Tsumiki _knew_ that.

She knew that, but…

But the girl belonged with them. Even if Nanami wasn’t hers, she was still _theirs._ Theirs to love, theirs to take care of, theirs to entain, and theirs to play with. She wasn’t leaving. They were all too selfish even _consider_ letting her leave.

At least, Tsumiki hoped so.

She had arrived at the door to Nanami’s room and let her lips curl into a small, shaky smile. The nurse raised a fist and considered knocking before rethinking that decision and having a short, but painful debate with herself. She chose to knock, but softly, and stepped back just a bit to wait for her favorite patient to answer the door.

After exactly two minutes and thirty-three seconds, Tsumiki’s smile dropped, and then she looked to the door’s knob. She had known the room locked from the outside, so she could have walked in whenever she wanted, but she’d wanted to be polite.

She let out a breath, and then her smile returned.

Nanami wouldn’t care. She was too nice. She would forgive her.

With that in mind, Tsumiki twisted the door’s knob silently and took a step inside the room. Yonaga had done a good job decorating, and the fact almost made her frown before she reminded herself that as long as Nanami liked it, it was fine. 

Walking further into the room, she could make out something tucked under the bed’s covers. Realizing it was an outline of Nanami, Tsumiki let out a gasp and rushed forward. The nurse bit her lip and quickly, carefully peeled the covers back. Seeing Nanami’s sleeping form and relaxed expression, her nerves eased, but she instantly noticed a thin sheen of sweat on the girl’s forehead. Tsumiki’s eyebrows pinched. Why had she chosen to fall asleep where her body could overheat and her intake of oxygen would be limited? Humans needed to breathe, didn’t they?

She leaned toward the girl and raised a hand to wipe away the sweat, her expression softening when she heard her let out an incoherent mumble.

Nanami really _was_ adorable.

With a small smile, Tsumiki took the girl’s injured wrist in her hand, shaking her head at the number Enoshima had done on her. For someone so smart, it seemed that the analyst didn’t know how to control herself at times. With that in mind, her eyes flitted to the bandages in her hand and then back to Nanami’s wrist.

She was her nurse.

Therefore, it would only be part of her job to heal her as if nothing had ever happened.

—

“N-Nanami-san?”

“Nanami-san…”

“I-It’s… morning.”

“Your breakfast is ready, you know. Hopefully, you’ll like it more than yesterday’s... _filth._ ”

Nanami let out a small grumble, slowly opening her eyes and hissing at the light they were met with. She turned on her side, only to see a pair of green, wrinkled skinny jeans obscuring her view. Not thinking much of it, she closed her eyes to go back to sleep.

Then, they snapped open once more.

Nanami’s gaze trailed upward, landing on Komaeda’s smile. The boy must have noticed, because he offered her a wave with his left hand before using that same hand to point to the desk at his side, where a tray of food resided. “Good morning, Nanami-san,” he said, his voice chipper. “Tsumiki-san and I made your breakfast today. We worked hard on it, so we really hope you’ll like it.”

Sitting up, the gamer could make out Tsumiki’s frail, trembling form behind the boy, and she bit the inside of her cheek.

_“Tsumiki-san is one of our best actors.”_

Enoshima.

Instinctively, she wrapped her hand around the wrist the girl had dug her nails into, expecting pain, but feeling nothing. No jolt, no sting, and not even any raised or parted skin. Her wrist was… fine. It was fine when it shouldn’t have been. With the way Enoshima had handled it, it should have been aching, throbbing, bleeding, _something._

Because Enoshima had claws, and those claws were long and sharp and jagged, jagged and pointy like her rows upon rows of teeth that Nanami had just been able to make out with the light of her Game Girl.

She remembered it.

The conversation, Enoshima’s terrifying form. The acceleration in her heartbeat, along with the sound of the organ _thump-thump-thump_ ing in her ears, far too loud for her comfort.

She _remembered_ it, but the memory was distant and foggy, like something out of a dream.

Like something out of a nightmare.

“Nanami-san, are y-you all right?” Tsumiki said that, small voice laced with concern, and Nanami couldn’t imagine her ever hurting anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know this chapter was shorter than usual, but i felt that that was an appropriate place to end it. 
> 
> please give me your best tinfoil hat theories--


End file.
